You're What In A Manger?

Ours is a secular household. This week as we decorated the
tree, made a playlist of carols,
and planned our holiday schedule, I found myself telling The
Christmas Story to my eight year old. Usually, when this happens, the innocent
child falls in love with the radiant beauty of baby Jesus and is instantly
converted to Christianity. That isn’t quite how it went in our
house…

Good question. Why did Mary marry Joseph? She probably didn’t have a
choice. Women usually didn’t in those days. A women couldn’t just get
a job and buy a house. They had to have a husband to give them a house and
money and stuff. And nobody had invented daycare, either, so Mary had to look
after the baby. That's why you weren't supposed to have sex until you got married, so the baby would be provided for.

But if they were supposed to get married before they had
sex, why didn’t God marry Mary?

Last year I worked for the Australian Bureau of Statistics
during the most recent Census. My son helped me fill in his own details for the
Census, too. He knows perfectly well that you fill in your name, date of birth, and your usual place of residence. Mind you, he also
knows that if you are temporarily staying in a stable, the Census collectors
will knock on the door and ensure you have been issued a form.